The Apology
by adromir
Summary: Sam is in big trouble. No one is aware that he has been missing until four days has gone to past. Would it be too late to save him then?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, guys. I'm still working on the plots for the sequel to 'The Lie'. For now, I present to you the latest Sam-centric fic. Do enjoy.**

**Summary : Sam is in big trouble. No one is aware that he has gone missing until four days has gone to past. Would it be too late to save him then?**

* * *

"Jules."

"Go away, Sam. I've done talking to you," was Jules' irate reply as she rushed across the HQ parking lot towards her jeep.

"I said I was sorry." Sam had no problems keeping up with her angry pace, much to her disgust. Of course. He had longer legs.

Fuming, Jules walked faster. "You don't sound sorry at all. In fact, you're enjoying this!"

Sam just grinned. "Well, who wouldn't? Arguing with you is pretty exciting. You look hot when you're mad."

"You're gonna use that line with me, Sam? Seriously? Real lame." Reaching her jeep, she turned to jab a finger against his chest. "Go get yourself another ride, cowboy. My car can't accommodate both you and your ego."

"Aw, come on, Jules."

"Can't hear you," she shot back with a hand behind her ear as she unlocked the car door, elbowing him out of the way for added measure.

"Okay, sweetheart. Fine. I'll see you at home then," he relented. What else could he do, wrestle her to the ground?

"No you won't. I'm driving straight to my Dad's tonight. So, have fun spending the weekend all by your lonesome self."

Sam began to think that he had pushed her button a bit too far. "Babe, are you having PMS? Is that it?"

Jules stiffened. And then, without warning, she whirled around and kneed him in the groin.

"Ooff!" Sam grunted, bending over. She didn't really knee him all that hard, but it was enough to enable him to sing falsetto for a week. Not sparing him another glance, Jules leaped into her jeep and slammed the door shut. Seconds later she gunned the engine, leaving a strip of rubber on the tarmac as she sped away.

Sam was still kneading his most vulnerable anatomy, reeling in her dust, when Ed's car pulled to a stop beside him. In the passenger seat sat Sergeant Parker. Both men were grinning wide. Obviously, they had seen everything.

"Hey, Sam. Is everything okay?" Parker asked, slightly concerned.

"Trouble in paradise, Samo?" added Ed, one corner of his mouth angled upwards.

"_This_ is paradise?" Sam retorted with a rueful smile, his head shaking.

"You guys fighting?"

"Nah. More like having a disagreement. God, she's so damned sexy with her furs all ruffled."

"What did you do to piss her off like that?"

Sam easily shrugged. "As I said, we had a disagreement. I said something she doesn't agree with."

"What do you mean?"

"She asked me earlier, who will make better team leader? Me or her?"

"And what did you answer?" Ed asked, even though he could already figure it out.

"What do you think?" Sam chuckled. "She completely flew off the handle when I then told her that men are more level-headed than women in highly tense situations."

Parker groaned. "Can't believe you said that, Sam. What are you? Sexist?"

"Not sexist. I'm a realist."

"Know what? My Soph would love to hit you over the head if she hears that," Ed dryly commented.

"I wasn't being serious, guys. I enjoy pulling her chain once in a while. Make her all angry and fierce," said Sam, smiling lasciviously. "They said make-up sex is incredibly phenomenal."

"Whoa! Too much information there, Samo," they both cried out, aghast. Sam just laughed.

Shaking his head, Parker then asked, "And she kneed you in the nuts for that?"

Looking slightly sheepish, Sam responded by telling them about mentioning PMS to Jules, causing Parker to wince. Ed slapped himself on the forehead, saying. "God, Sam. You had a death wish or something? Don't you ever, _ever_, say the three-letter word to a woman."

"Right. You're lucky she's not carrying a gun. Or anything sharp," said Parker. "Instead of bruised balls, you might have lost them entirely!"

Sam rolled his eyes as both men laughed uproariously.

"Hey, you need a ride?" Ed asked after their laughter died down. "I can drop you off before I drive the Boss home."

"No, I'm okay. Thanks anyway."

"You're sure? But Raf and Spike have already left if you want to hitch a ride with them."

"I think I'm gonna walk."

"_Walk_?" Their eyes widened in surprise.

"But, Sam, your apartment is over ten miles from here," Parker pointed out.

With a shrug, Sam said, "I've walked further than that. In the desert, no less. Besides, the long walk can be my penance for making Jules angry. I'll apologize to her later."

Ed scoffed. "This is Jules we're talking about, Sam. Simple apology is not gonna be enough with her. You have to grovel at her feet."

"Yeah. Grovel till you have no dignity left," added the Sergeant with a straight face.

Their boisterous laughter still rang in Sam's ears even when Ed's car cleared out of the parking lot moments afterwards. Smiling, his head shaking, Sam began walking towards the main road. Despite his bragging earlier, he didn't intend to walk all the way home, not after the rough shift he and his team had had that day. He was tired, his muscles felt stiff and rubbery. Besides, it had already turned dark and looked as if it was about to rain. If he were lucky, he could easily flag a taxi.

Minutes later, Sam was swearing. The rain fell heavily soon after he got to the main road. Adding to his predicament, all the taxis he flagged down were either occupied or on call. He spent several more minutes frantically waving his arm at the traffic like a mad man.

Thoroughly drenched, he was thinking of running back towards the HQ when a taxi finally pulled over. Sighing with relief, he pulled open the back door and dived into the seat.

"Sorry, sorry," Sam muttered over the wet mess he was creating on the cushion.

"No problem, man," the taxi driver, a man in mid-forties, responded with a knowing grin. "Where to?"

Giving the man his address, Sam laid his head back. He wiped the excess moistures off his face and looked out the window at the pouring rain, longing for a hot shower and warm coffee. Already half drowsy from exhaustion, the sounds of the rhythmic whoosh off the wipers and the pelting raindrops against the roof quickly lulled him into a stupor. Without knowing it, his eyelids grew heavy and he fell into a doze.

Sam was jerked back to awareness when the taxi hit a slight bump. Blinking rapidly, he looked around him in confusion. The route they were taking was the opposite direction to his apartment complex.

"Hey, man," Sam said, leaning forward. "Where are you taking me? This isn't my way home."

"Have to take a detour, sir," responded the taxi driver.

"Detour? Why?"

"The St. Patrick Street is blocked due to a road construction."

Sam frowned. _What road construction?_

"There's no road construction on St. Patrick Street," he said, getting highly annoyed. "I was there just a couple hours ago. Are you trying to con me here, milking out the meter?"

The taxi driver sighed. "Okay, man. Okay. I'll take you back this instant."

Pulling over to the shoulder of the road, the driver turned in his seat and looked at Sam. "Sorry, sir. But I have to do this."

"Do what?"

The man then raised his arm, aiming a rectangular small box at him. In reflex, Sam leapt to one side.

But he was not fast enough. An arc of blue lightning jumped from the box through a pair of wires and latched onto his chest. Sam instantly crumpled, twitching spasmodically as if he were having an epileptic fit. His every thought just disintegrated, filling his mind with pain of epic proportion. His muscles turned to jelly, his head near to exploding. He fought hard to stay awake, but the taxi driver pressed the button once more.

Another wave of paralyzing agony ran through Sam's body, rendering him unconscious.

* * *

It had stopped raining.

After what seemed like hours, which in truth was only minutes, Sam came around. Moaning, he tried to move but found himself couldn't. His arms were bound behind him, and a gag was tied over his mouth.

_Aw, crap._

As he lay there in the backseat, gathering his bearings, he saw the taxi driver standing right outside the opened door. The man was bending over Sam's feet, tugging at his boots. And then he noticed that he no longer wore his expensive leather jacket, where he kept his wallet. His wristwatch seemed to be missing too. Putting two and two together, Sam quickly realized what was happening.

He was being robbed!

Growling in anger, Sam lashed out his foot and kicked the taxi driver in the face. The man stumbled backwards with a grunt. Wriggling forward on his ass, Sam then bounded out of the vehicle in one smooth move. He rushed over to kick the driver again, but the man took out the damned taser and zapped him.

Sam screamed through his gag. Jerking and shuddering, he dropped like a stone.

Wiping blood off his nose, the taxi driver glared down at his victim. "You just won't give up, would you, kid? Who are you, anyway?"

As Sam lay almost senseless on the muddy ground, the man went to retrieve Sam's jacket and took out his wallet. Upon finding Sam's SRU identifications, he went absolutely still. "Shit. You're a cop?"

Rolling weakly onto his side, Sam tried to push himself up, only he had no more strength left. He couldn't make any of his limbs to work. Yes, he had been tasered a few times before, but those were for fun. But this, this was purposely incapacitating.

During his Special Forces days, living with other alpha males in close quarters in the middle of a desert could be incredibly tedious. Tempers were high, and fights erupted as easily as bushfire. So they made up some stupid games to cheer everyone up. Finding out who dropped first from taser shots was one of them. To his own disgust, Sam had always lost.

And this time, he had lost again.

"Damn, damn, damn," the taxi driver was cursing as he walked back and forth, thinking things through.

Sam looked around him, hoping to see anyone coming to his aid. To his dismay, he saw that they were in the middle of a dirt road, far away from the busy traffic. Everything around them was dark. The beaming headlights of the taxi was the only source of light.

Crouching over Sam, the man said, "Sorry, mate. I thought to release you soon afterwards but…now that I know you're a cop, things have changed. I must make sure you'll never come after me."

A sense of foreboding ran over Sam. He yelled at the taxi driver, his words muffled by the gag, "What the hell you're gonna do? Release me now!"

The man responded by zapping Sam with the taser. _Again_.

When Sam gathered his consciousness the second time that night, he thought he could hear the roaring sound of a waterfall. But it was only in his head. Being tasered _four _times within minutes could scramble your brain, not to mention your eardrums.

Not surprisingly, the taxi driver was gone. Sam found himself completely alone, tied to a tree in the middle of a strange dark woods. His arms were wrapped around the tree trunk behind him, his legs splayed in front of him and bound at the ankles. Adding to his discomfort, the gag was still stuffed inside his mouth. Not a soul would hear if he cried for help. He had to get himself out of his bonds but no matter what he did, he couldn't get free. The man was very good at tying knots.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

Sam repeatedly hit the back of his head against the tree trunk, mad at himself. He had heard in the recent news about the infamous 'Taxi Bandit', the notorious taxi driver who robbed his passengers off their valuables before leaving them by the side of deserted roads. Never had he thought that he would become one of his victims.

Sam grimaced. His chest was terribly sore from the taser darts, and his head felt twice its size. But his real problem was not those small injuries. What worried him the most was his total immobility, with no one knowing where he was. Heck, even _h_e didn't know where he was.

It was the first Friday in April. His team was off duty during the whole weekend and also on Monday. Back at her father's house, Jules would not be expecting him tonight. Besides, she was still pissed and most probably would not ring him up until she had cooled down, which could take forever. His phone was also stolen, so no chance for his team to track him through the GPS. In fact, from the look of things, he could be tethered to the tree for four whole nights before anyone would realize he had gone missing. With no way to trace his whereabouts, Sam could be left stranded there forever.

In short, he's totally screwed.

_Can't this night get any worse?_ Sam thought, with a weary shake of his head.

He should have kept his mind shut because, moments later, the sky opened up and let down the rain. Sam groaned out loud.

_Aw, crap._

**TBC...  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys. Yeah, I'm real late. Sorry for the delay. Just came back from outstation. I'll try to update as frequent as possible. Can't have you all hanging to the cliffie for long, can I?**

* * *

Sitting in her room at her father's house, Jules glared at her cell phone. She was debating with herself whether she should give Sam a call. Although she was still as mad as hell, deep down she already missed him. She longed to hear his infectious laughter, to feel his strong arms around her, to taste his kiss on her lips…

Calling herself a thousand fool, she started dialing his number, only to quickly disconnect before the call could get through. Ringing up Sam would only stoke his ego. He would utterly love it if she threw in the towel first, as if proving that he was right, women _did_ have weaker resolve.

No, that would not do. Jules had had enough of hearing sexist comments from him, even though she knew he was just teasing her.

_Let him sweat_, she angrily thought. _Guys are more level headed? Yeah, right. Let's see how long he can stay level-headed when I stop talking to him! _

One thing bothered her, though. She wondered why Sam still had not given her a call. This wasn't like him at all. Normally after any disagreements between them, he would be the first one to relent and apologize, even when she was the one clearly in the wrong. That was just Sam's nature, awfully concerned to spare her feelings.

Jules gazed at her phone again, puzzled. It should have started ringing a long while ago. Sam was supposed to be groveling by now.

_Why won't he call me?_

"Jules?"

She jerked to hear her father's yell from the kitchen. "Yes, Daddy?"

"What's taking you so long? Come eat your dinner before it gets cold."

She sighed, slightly exasperated. Her father seemed to forget that his only daughter was not a little a girl anymore.

The minute she arrived at his doorstep, the first thing Mr. Callaghan had demanded to know was if she had had dinner. When she said she hadn't, he grumbled like a mother hen and went into the kitchen to heat up some leftovers, complaining all the way about how she should have told him she was coming so that he could make her his famous spicy lasagna, her favorite.

"Jules!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Sheesh. Hold your horses, Daddy." Throwing the cell phone onto her bed, Jules rushed out of the room and into the kitchen. "Hmm. Something smells nice."

Sitting at the table, reading a newspaper, her father only grunted in response. As she took her seat, he suddenly asked her, "You fighting with your boyfriend?"

Surprised, Jules stared at him, open-mouthed. "_Daddy_!"

"What?"

Jules shook her head, jabbing halfheartedly at the baked salmon on her plate. "Look, I don't want to talk about it, okay? I'm still pissed."

"So you guys _are_ fighting," he remarked, lowering the paper.

"Not fighting. We had a disagreement."

"Same difference. What's the fighting all about?"

"You really wanna know?"

"Of course. You dropped by without warning, looking completely out of sort. If this boy has broken my girl's heart, I need to know."

"Sam is not a _boy, _Daddy_._ Jeez, I'm not in high school anymore."

"I'm just looking out for you here, honey. Remember 'Todd the Toad', how badly he hurt you at your graduation? I should have let your brothers kick his ass a little harder," he responded with an arched eyebrow. "So, does this guy Sam smack you around or something?"

His daughter gave him a look. "Sam is not that kind of guy. It was _me _who hit _him_."

Mr. Callaghan blinked at that, and burst out laughing. "That's my girl! But what exactly did he do to piss you off?"

Reddening a bit, Jules told him. He was in stitches after she finished explaining things. "You hit him in the nuts? Oh, honey, I thought you love this guy?"

"I _do_ love him, but sometimes Sam can be so…so…_obtuse_! He would be the better team leader? Men are more level-headed? _Puh-lease_."

Her father gave her an adoring gaze. "And this is how a level-headed woman normally reacts? By running away, leaving your great love behind in the parking lot, eating your dust?"

"Not running away, Daddy. I'm _keeping_ away from him. There's a difference."

"Suit yourself." He shrugged, raising the newspaper to cover his grin. "But for once, I think your boyfriend is right."

_Of course, he'll side with Sam. He's a man too, _was her annoyed thought. However Jules refused to rise to the bait, focusing on her food instead.

Unfortunately her father just wouldn't give up. "Poor Sam, having dinner all by himself tonight. I feel so sorry for him. God knows how he's coping right now."

Sulking, she turned a deaf ear and resumed eating.

* * *

Sam was coping a lot worse than Mr. Callaghan could ever imagine. In fact, no one had the slightest idea of the predicament he was in. While Jules sat eating a nice dinner in a warm cozy kitchen, food was at the farthest back of Sam's mind. His only priority was to free himself and get help.

Easier said than done.

Tethered to the tree, he had been sitting haplessly there for hours. It had been raining on and off the entire night, soaking him through as if he hadn't been drenched enough. The piercing cold stabbed him to the bone, causing him to shiver uncontrollably. To get himself warm he gathered his knees closer to his chest to conserve some heat, which was a moot effort. At least he had the gag to bite on to stop his teeth from chattering like castanets.

Grimacing, he tested his bonds for the umpteenth time. No wonder he couldn't easily get out of it. This was no simple bindings. It was made of plastic, like those flexi cuffs the SRU frequently used to restrain their violent subjects. The more he struggled against it or the harder he rubbed it against the rough tree bark, the deeper it cut into his wrists. Both his hands were already sticky with blood. And that gave him a morbid idea. Maybe he could continue on until his wrists were completely sawed off, and then he would be free.

_Uh…maybe not._

Sighing, Sam stopped moving and leaned his head back. He began to feel the awful strain in his shoulders with his arms wrapped tight around the tree trunk behind him. His ass started to grow numb from sitting on the hard ground for so long.

Still, whatever discomforts he was facing, Sam forced himself to take it like a man. He was ex-Special Forces, for god's sake! He had suffered a lot worse than this. He had been instilled with strict discipline since he was still in diapers, much more so in the military. As a long-range marksman, he had had the experience of spending hours sitting at the same spot without a twitch. Or lying motionless on his front, blending in with the surroundings as he aimed his sniper rifle at the assigned target. There was even one particular mission that required him to bury himself under the hot desert sand with only the snout of his gun poking out.

Yeah, those were great times. If he could breeze through that, then he could definitely survive whatever hell he was in right now.

With the trees surrounding him, blocking his view of the position of the moon in the sky, Sam couldn't tell the exact time. It was probably past midnight, which meant it had been over six hours since he last spoke to Jules.

_Does she miss me already? Has she called me yet? Is she worried that I'm not answering? _

Sam then scoffed, ruefully shaking his head as he recalled how mad Jules had been with him.

_Does she even care?_

With the disturbing thought floating in his mind, Sam closed his eyes. He felt so drained he had troubles staying awake. Within moments, he drifted off into fitful sleep.

* * *

_What the hell's wrong with his phone? _

Jules was fuming, and she almost threw her own cell phone against the wall. Despite her vow earlier about not making the first move to reconcile with Sam, her heart had softened a bit. Soon after she had finished dinner, she rang him up countless of times. To her absolute frustration, she could only get his voice mail.

She dialed his number one last time. Same thing.

"Okay. If that's how you're gonna play it," she muttered, growing angry all over again. "You purposely switched off you phone to avoid me, Braddock? Fine. Have it your way."

Simmering, she went to turn out the lights and got into bed. But an hour later she was still unable to sleep. Something was keeping her awake. It was an odd feeling of unease that she had rarely felt before.

_What could possibly be wrong?_

If she only knew.

* * *

Sam woke up with a jolt. A sudden sound from somewhere in the dark had penetrated his sleep, startling him. The rain had fully stopped now, returning the woods to its natural quiet sounds which enabled him to hear all kind of strange noises.

He thought he heard some twigs breaking, sounding ever closer as if someone or some_thing_ were approaching. This was followed by a low growl, causing the hair at the back of his neck to stand.

_Great. Are there wild wolves around here? Or is that a coyote? A bear maybe?_

As he continued to quiz with himself, the scraping sound got nearer. Sam looked around him in panic. If it were the taxi driver, returning to release him after all, Sam would gladly kiss the man before punching him square in the face. But if what would appear instead was other than human, then he was totally sitting duck. No pun intended.

There was that growl again, and Sam couldn't help but shoved himself flat against the tree. As if that could make him appear invisible to whatever that was coming. Trembling with helpless fear, he began to hatch up a plan of defense.

If a wolf or a bear or even a god-damn bigfoot pounced upon him, he would kick the shit out of it with his bound bare feet until they were chewed off completely!

"So come and get me, you beast!" he yelled through his gag. "I'm not afraid of you!"

Seconds later, a creature leapt out of the darkness to land near his feet.

**TBC…**

* * *

**This chappie too short for you guys? Sorry. That was intentional. I just can't help it. Hehehe...  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, hello. Thank you for reading and reviewing, my fellow readers! Here's the new chapter.**

* * *

Staring at the dark-furred creature, Sam burst out laughing.

_A raccoon_, he told himself and leaned back with great relief, his shoulders shaking with laughter. _Just a damned stupid raccoon, nothing more. Nearly caused me a coronary. Little idiot._

Tilting its head to the side, the animal stared back at the human in avid curiosity. Sniffing the air, it then crept closer forward.

Sam went perfectly still when the raccoon climbed up his legs, the sharp odor of its damp fur prickling his nose.

_Whoa! What the—_

Baring its teeth at the human, the raccoon began to paw at the front pocket of Sam's jeans, causing him to jerk.

_Son of a bitch! Get off me, you mangy cur!_

Ignoring Sam's muffled cries, the small beast continued to dig around in his pocket. He could feel the sharpness of its claws even through the thick fabric, leaving scratch marks on his thigh. It stung like hell. On top of that, Sam also worried that the animal could be rabid.

_What if it bit me?_ he wondered, trying without success to shake the raccoon off him.

With a gleeful hiss, the raccoon finally pulled out his hand and loped away. Wrapped within its small fist was the bar of 'Snickers' that Sam had purchased from the HQ's vending machine earlier in the evening. He had stuffed it inside his jeans and then completely forgotten about it when he went running after Jules.

"Hey!" he yelled as loud as the gag would allow, _"Give me back my Snickers!"_

He should have saved his breath because the raccoon had quickly vanished into the dark, the sound of breaking twigs the only sign of its hasty departure.

"Thief!"

Sam was so angry he let out a long scream of outrage. A full minute later, he slowly calmed down and sat slump against the tree, stunned.

_Unbelievable! Robbed by a fellow human was one thing, but by an animal? On the same damn night? Maybe Jules has put a curse on me or something_, he wearily thought. _And god knows I deserve it._

No other thieves, human or otherwise, robbed him afterwards. Still, for precautions he quickly looked around for anything that could be used as a weapon. He noticed a broken tree branch lying just a yard away. It didn't look lethal enough to be an effective defense tool, but it would have to do.

Extending his legs, Sam used his toes to bump the branch closer towards him until he could clutch the thing between his bound feet. Then he sat there and waited. If any raccoons or other vexing creatures come to bother him again, he would cheerfully use the branch to whack them over the head!

* * *

"Are you sure, Spike? You really haven't seen him?" Jules pressed again.

On the other line, the team's computer wizard audibly sighed. "Of course, I'm sure. And I know how Samuel W. Braddock looks like. He's this handsome blue-eyed blonde who does yoga or reads Jim Butcher's in his free time. So, yeah, I would know if I had seen him."

"Spike, I'm serious," she snapped. "If Sam's there with you, tell him to switch on his phone and return my calls, okay? And tell him to stop being such an ass!"

"Jules, I'm serious too. Sam is not here."

"But he always runs to you for backup whenever he stuck his foot in his mouth. You're his loyal accomplice."

A short silence from Spike, followed by, "Well, there's that, but…I'm not lying here, Jules. I haven't seen Sam since yesterday's shift, I swear. I would have told you if I had."

Suddenly disheartened, Jules sat down on her bed and grew quiet. Now things were looking more and more in her disfavor.

The moment she woke up that morning, she had called Sam a dozen times with the same result. It all went to his voice mail. Reluctantly, she figured out why Sam was giving her the silent treatment. He had an apt reason to be angry. Looking back, she realized that she might have gone a bit too far when she kicked him in the groin. No sane man, boyfriend or not, would appreciate that.

And so she had decided to call Spike, Sam's regular partner-in-crime. Those two had become so tight lately that she even suspected they went out dating together behind her back. Still, no dice. Like Spike said, he hadn't seen Sam.

"Hey, Jules. You guys fighting?" Spike softly asked.

"Why is everyone keep saying that? We are not fighting! It's just a disagreement. And who told you?"

He chuckled. "Ed called me, gave me a heads up. He was with the Boss when they saw the Brallaghan's short drama in the parking lot."

_Brallaghan? _Jules groaned. _Who do they think we are, Brangelina knock-off?_

"You guys are a bunch of gossiping old hags, you know that?" she retorted. "Go watch _E-News_ or _The Kardashians_, why don't you?"

Spike just laughed. "Not as interesting as watching you guys driving each other crazy."

"You're a riot." Jules rolled her eyes and ended the call.

Glaring at her phone, Jules then thought of calling Sam's sister. Natalie had moved out of his apartment months ago, but she frequently dropped by to eat dinner with him. She might know what was going on with her stubborn brother. However, Natalie was highly protective of him. She would always take his side of things, no matter what. And God knows when the Braddocks' shield was up, nothing short of a nuclear explosion could bring it down.

Mr. Callaghan suddenly appeared at the doorway. "Hey, Jules. You're ready to go?"

Jules looked up, puzzled. "Ready to go where, Daddy?"

"We planned this last night, remember? We're going to see your Mom this morning."

"Oh, right. I'm so sorry for keeping you," said Jules, feeling slightly guilty for almost forgetting her promise to accompany him to visit her mother's grave that day. "Why don't you wait in the car, Daddy? I'll be over shortly."

"Okay," he replied with a frown. "Is everything alright, sweetheart?"

"Um…yeah. Sure."

"You don't sound like it. Your boyfriend still giving you trouble?"

"No, nothing like that. I can't get ahold of him, that's all."

"Then dump him."

She gaped at him. "_Daddy!_"

"What?"

"I've already dumped him once. I'm not dumping him again."

"Why not?"

"Well, because…" She narrowed her eyes at her father's big knowing grin. Snatching her purse, she then headed for the door. "You know what? I'm not gonna waste my time fretting over him. Let's go see Mom now."

He laughed. "You go girl."

* * *

Of all the drawback of being tied up, nothing beats the inability to answer the urgent call of nature.

Sam squirmed in great discomfort. He woke up to a bright sunshiny day…and a very full bladder. He had been holding his water for such long hours he thought he would burst. He didn't think he could hold it any longer. Sooner or later, he would have to let go.

And so, though terribly mortified, he did just that. The crotch of his jeans was quickly soaked through, embarrassing him even more. The last time he had peed in his pants was over twenty years ago. He was about ten at the time, visiting the local zoo with a group from school.

It had all started at the reptile exhibit. A snake handler was showcasing an albino python to the visitors when the man playfully draped the snake over young Sam's shoulders. That was when Sam first knew he suffered ophiophobia, a fear of snake. He shrieked so loud that his fellow schoolmates also ran off screaming. The excursion had been instantly cut short, for he could no longer walk around in soiled pants.

As Sam grew older, his phobia slowly receded. He still broke into sweats whenever he came across that particular reptile, even if it were simply a documentary featured on TV. During his stint in Kandahar, twice he stumbled upon a sidewinder. He didn't actually run away shrieking, but he was certainly not laughing when he shot them dead. At least he had stopped peeing in his pants.

Until now.

Overcame by shame so deep, Sam suddenly got angry. He was furious from his total indignity, his complete haplessness. Yanking against his bonds, he roared out his rage. He cursed the taxi driver, over and over. He cursed his own sloppiness and stupidity for letting all this to happen. On and on he went, screaming at the surrounding woods.

As the human continued to go berserk under the tree, a lone raccoon looked on with a sneer on its face, amused.

* * *

After his phone conversation with Jules, Spike had decided to check on Sam at his apartment. Expecting Sam to be home, he grew concern when the other man didn't respond to the doorbell. Spike pressed the bell again. As before, it went unanswered. And so he knocked, calling out Sam's name repeatedly.

Still no reply.

Before taking out his lock pick set, Spike gave his surroundings a cursory look. Assured that the hallway was clear, he expertly worked on the lock. Seconds later he was in. He quickly went through every room but found no trace of his friend. What truly puzzled him was there were no obvious signs that Sam had returned home last night. The bed was still precisely made, military style. No dirty clothes lying around. No leftover food on the counter.

Spike wouldn't deny that his teammate was basically a neat and orderly person, but there should be at least an indication that he had used the shower that morning. Instead, the floor and glass doors of the shower stall were completely dry. The bathroom itself looked undisturbed with no lingering scent of Sam's favorite shampoo or aftershave.

_Strange_, Spike thought with a frown. _If he's not here and not with Jules, where in the world would he be?_

Taking out his cellphone, Spike dialed up a number. It was immediately answered.

"Spike, hi."

"Hey, Nat. Sorry to bother you."

"You're no bother at all, Spike. You know that. How're you doing?"

"I'm fine, I'm great. Umm…I'm calling to know if your brother's with you."

"Sam?"

"You have a brother other than Sam?"

He heard her laughing. "Of course not, silly. Well, I haven't seen him for days. Besides, I'm with the parents here in Ottawa. The General's orders."

Spike winced. "Ouch. What have you done now?"

"Nothing. Which means, I didn't do exactly what he told me to do," she replied, laughing all the harder. "Don't worry about him. I can handle my Dad."

"Yeah, I bet."

"So, what's wrong with Sam? Why are you looking for him? Aren't you supposed to see him at work?"

"Team One is off duty the entire weekend. Something's wrong with his phone. I can't get through to him. And no one seems to know where he is."

"You think he's in trouble?" Natalie sounded anxious.

"Oh, no no. I believe he's fine, just unreachable for the time being. You know how your brother is. Look, I don't mean to make you worry, Nat. I'm sure he's off somewhere amusing himself."

"I thought he's with Jules."

"Well, he pissed her off big time yesterday. So go figure."

"Ah, I see. Anyway, just let me know if you see him, okay?"

"Will do. Talk to you later, Nat."

Pocketing his phone, Spike gave Sam's apartment another once over. Nothing seemed to be out of place, except for the owner.

_Where the hell is he?_

* * *

Hours slowly crept on.

Due to sheer exhaustion, Sam started to nod off in the afternoon heat. But he briskly shook himself awake when he was besieged by strange erratic dreams. Unfortunately, staying awake also meant painfully aware of his suffering. His belly was rumbling with hunger. He felt so thirsty that it even hurt to swallow, so parch his throat was. And the gag was not helping him any. After that screaming frenzy, both corners of his mouth were now chafing and bleeding.

Sam wearily shook his head, feeling sorry for himself. He honestly didn't know how long he could endure the growing torture. He knew that a human body as fit as his can survive about eight to fourteen days without food or water, but what of his mind? He was certain that he would be driven to madness even before the day ended.

Testing his bonds for the umpteenth time, he whimpered as he felt the sharp biting sting against his already battered wrists. He stared at his bare feet, which still clutched the stupid branch. They looked awfully pale. He bet his face didn't look all that rosy either.

This brought his mind to Jules' lovely features. She rarely put on any make-up, yet somehow her high cheekbones always had colors on them, particularly when she laughed or when she was pissed._ Especially_ when she was pissed

Thinking about Jules, Sam felt a stab of remorse for jerking her chain earlier. If he had not provoked her with his stupid comments, making her mad, he wouldn't have been in this predicament. He brought all this onto himself. There was no one else to blame.

_I'm sorry, Jules. I was such a jerk. _

With those thoughts, Sam then made a vow to himself. No matter what hardship he would face within the following hours or most possibly days, he would not give up hope. He would remain resilient and stoic. He would persevere until he was finally found and rescued.

He would continue to stay alive so that he could personally apologize to her.

**TBC...**

* * *

**See? I'm kind enough not to leave that at a cliffie this time. ^_^**

**p/s : Has snybody seen the trailer to the new Bourne movie? Ooh, I just can't wait. Jeremy Renner is freaking awesome!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, guys. I'm glad you are enjoying this. Thank you for following the fic. Here's a new chapter!**

* * *

"Hey, Boss. How's your weekend?" Ed asked, securing the last strap of his body armor.

Signing a clipboard at the dispatch's station, Parker grinned in response. "Super. How's yours?"

Team One's team leader emitted a rueful smile. "Couldn't sleep much. Izzy had a fever, keep us up two nights straight. But she said her first word yesterday. _Dada_."

"Aww, that's so sweet," Winny gushed from her post. "How does Sophie take it?"

"She's ecstatic! And now she's teaching Izzy to say _'Up_, Dada'. I guess I'll be on full baby-sitting duty at home from now on." Ed shrugged helplessly, causing the other two to laugh.

Just then, Spike appeared. He went straight to them and asked, "Has Sam arrived yet?"

They all shook their heads. "No. Haven't seen him come in."

Frowning, Spike took out his phone and started dialing as he walked briskly towards the locker room. They heard him muttered something under his breath before he disappeared around the corner.

"What's that all about?" Ed wondered.

"Have not the faintest idea," Parker replied. "Anyway, back to Izzy. Her fever. Was it serious?"

"Nah, it was mild but it made her real cranky. She's fine now. It's like what they said, infants normally have fever right before they learn new tricks. Izzy also had a fever before she took her first step. I thought it was just fluke, but—"

Jules chose that moment to arrive. She looked concerned about something. "Hey, guys. You've seen Sam?"

Again, they all shook their heads. Without another word, Jules turned and quickly left to change into her uniform.

Parker was puzzled. "Okay. What's going on? Are we missing something here?"

"Whatever it is, Sam better drag his butt in ASAP. Clearly Spike and Jules are anxious to see him," Ed remarked. "I wonder, what has he done now?"

"Good morning!" Raf greeted cheerfully when he appeared seconds afterward. He opened his mouth to speak more but Ed quickly intervened.

"Before you ask, no, we haven't seen him."

Raf stood there, blinking. "I'm sorry? _Who_?"

"Sam. He's not here yet."

"Why would I ask about Sam?"

Parker replied, "So, you aren't looking for him?"

"Uh…should I be? I mean, I went camping the whole weekend with some pals. Haven't heard anything from Sam. Why? Is he alright?"

"That's what we're wondering." The Sergeant began to frown. "In fact, he should be here by now. He has always been so early, unlike today."

"I guess we have to wait until Sam arrives. We can hear him out before we start today's briefing," said Ed.

To everyone's bewilderment though, Sam still had not appeared when Team One's shift officially started fifteen minutes later. They had to proceed with the briefing without him.

"Sam has a lot of explaining to do. He's not usually this tardy," Ed complained with a glance at his watch after the Sergeant had finished laying up the team's schedule for that day. Basically, they were in for a slow and quiet shift. No warrant calls, no mundane patrols. Team One just needed to be on full stand-by in case certain wackos decided to take people hostage or get hyper with firearms.

Parker already had his phone against one ear, frowning when all he got was Sam's voice mail. "His phone's off. This is so not like him."

Jules exchanged looks with Spike before she began speaking, "Boss, his phone has been switched off since Friday night."

Parker froze, his eyes widened. "What?"

"I've been calling him about a hundred times but could never get through. Not even once," she explained, looking slightly guilty. "At first I thought he refuses to speak to me after that episode in the parking lot. But now…"

"Jules then called me to ask if I had seen Sam, and so I went to his apartment on Saturday. He was not there," Spike said. "Then I called his sister, but she also hasn't seen him. None of his family members has."

"Why didn't you both inform us?" asked Parker, a tad annoyed.

"We didn't want to make a big deal out of it. We thought Sam just wants some privacy after…you know…after our disagreement," said Jules. "We really believed that he'll eventually show up today for shift. Looks like we were wrong."

"Spike, have you tried tracing the GPS on his phone?" Ed asked, starting to realize that Sam's absence could be a lot more serious than they thought. Obviously something had gone wrong.

"Not when it's off, no. I've tried." Spike shook his head apologetically.

"Okay, team. Let's think for a second," the Sergeant said, pacing back and forth. "Who saw him last?"

Ed cleared his throat. "Um…Boss, that would be us."

Parker paused. "Oh, yeah. That's right. Now who _heard_ him last? Did he call any of you that Friday night after shift?"

They all grimly shook their heads.

"How's he like when you guys saw him that evening?" Raf wanted to know.

Sparing a glance at Jules, Ed replied, "Like his usual self, nothing odd, considering that he just got kicked in the nuts by someone in this room."

Raf gaped at Jules. "_Seriously_?"

She reddened. "It was childish of me, I admit it. But…God, he completely blew up my fuse! Look, I'm sorry I went overboard. I know I shouldn't have—"

"Jules, Jules. Easy," Parker said, soothing her down. "No one's blaming you of anything. What transpired between you and Sam was strictly personal. We understand that. Just let's not panic here."

"Yeah, maybe Sam lost his phone somewhere," Raf lamely suggested.

"Or maybe for once he's really being a dick, intentionally giving us a scare while he has a big laugh about it," added Ed with a weak smile.

"You really believe that?" Jules challenged him, her eyes a little watery.

Ed gave her arm a consoling pat. "No, I really don't. Let's not jump to conclusion yet. There must be a sensible reason why he's being completely incommunicado."

"Yeah," Spike agreed. "Sam is ex-Special Forces. Don't these guys go on classified black ops even after they have left the field? Maybe he's running a secret mission for his Dad."

"Sam wouldn't do that without my clearance," Parker disagreed.

"Greg, there's a purpose why it's called classified black ops. No one is supposed to know, not his current employer, and not even us," Ed pointed out. He turned to Jules. "You notice anything peculiar about him lately?"

"Not in the least. But if he sometimes goes out at two in the morning to secretly go and infiltrate an Al Qaeda camp, he does a good job hiding it from me," she replied.

"This is all just speculations, guys. We need something concrete," the Sergeant interjected. "I'm gonna call General Braddock, just to confirm."

"You think he will admit it if his son is really working for him?" asked Ed, a little skeptic.

Parker pursed his lips. "No, but it's worth a try."

"Wait. Before you do that, let's clear up something here," Spike exclaimed. "Ed, you told me Sam declined your offering him a lift, and that he decided to walk home from HQ."

Ed, nodded. "Yes. What about it?"

"You're positive that he walked _all _the way home?"

"Well, we didn't actually _see_ him walking because we drove off first." Ed looked at Parker and continued, "But it rained real heavily soon after, right? You think he still went on with it?"

"No, I don't think so. Sam is a tough guy but he's not stupid. Staying out in that cold rain could give you pneumonia, he knows that."

"So then how did he get himself home?" Raf wondered out loud.

"A taxi?" Jules suggested.

"That's it!" Spike brightened, already reaching for his computers. "I can check with the city taxi's databases, made crosschecks with the time and place of every car on duty that night. If we found out which taxi Sam might have taken, we can—"

The alarm suddenly whooped, followed by Winnie's calm voice, "Hot call for Team One. Shots fired near Grange Park. One casualty, subject still at large."

Spike groaned and rose with the others, albeit hesitatingly. "Jeez. Talk about bad timing."

"Boss, we're short of one man," Ed commented.

"I know, and that's why we'll have Team Three for backup," said Parker as he headed towards Winnie at her dispatch station, "We'll come back to Sam soon after we finish this. Priority of life, guys. The public comes first, whether we like it or not."

* * *

Sam shivered in the late morning breeze. It wasn't all that cold, as it was a clear day with no clouds and the sun shone so bright that a sunbeam broke through the trees and hit him square on the crown of his head.

No, it wasn't the wind that gave him chills. It was his own antibody going haywire. He had been ravaged with fever since the night before. At first it was just a slight rise of his body temperature, before it steadily rose higher. And then his heart beat became irregular, which prompted him to use some yoga techniques he knew to bring it back to normal. But his body only grew weaker and weaker by the hours.

He knew the signs. He had seen them a dozen times before in the field, in the warzone. It could start with something minor, like a paper cut. But when bacteria set in, it could cause real harm. Even fatal.

That was what his entire body was currently telling him. He had contracted septicemia, most possibly from the raw abrasions on his wrists. Or maybe from the Raccoon's scratch on his thigh, he didn't care which. The only thing that he cared about was to end this horrific nightmare. If only he knew how.

Sam had been sitting there immobile for four days now, which already felt like an eternity. He was extremely bored, he was quickly losing his mind, and he couldn't feel half of his body anymore. Most of all, he was awfully thirsty. He had hoped, _prayed_, that it would rain soon so that he could swallow some. But no one seemed to be listening up there.

As his dry mouth and parched throat begged for water, his belly had long since stopped growling with hunger. It simply felt hollow, almost bloating, with sharp pains jabbing constantly against his solar plexus. He could bear with it, as pain kept him sharp. But the thirst…my God. That was so unbearable.

Earlier he had thought he could possibly last a week of this torment. But after four days, he felt nearly half dead. To make matters worse, the wound infection was slowly eating away the live within his body. His strength was rapidly deteriorating, his resolve was swiftly crumbling, his hope for rescue got less and less profound.

Team One should have already figured out that he had been missing. They needed to move fast, no more time to waste. If delayed, they would still find him in the end. He never doubted their tenacity.

But by then, there would only be his lifeless body to bring home.

**TBC...**

* * *

**Not long now. Our favorite military guy is getting close to be found. Hang on, Sammy. Just hang on!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yep. The team is getting closer. Here's the last chapter before the finale!**

* * *

The SRUs took a total of three hours to finally apprehend the subject involved in the shooting near Grange Park. Three intense hours of scouring the surrounding neighborhood for the armed and dangerous fugitive.

It had started with an argument between two men, which then escalated into a brutal fight. One of the men, the subject, then pulled out a handgun and shot the other man dead. He had also let loose two more shots to a cop arriving in a patrol car, who came to investigate the call of disturbance. The cop was lucky he didn't get hit, while the subject instantly took off running. After a comprehensive door-to-door search, he was later found hiding in an old lady's house. Taking the woman as hostage, the subject had demanded a getaway car and a clear path to escape.

A lengthy negotiation then ensued between Sargent Parker and the subject, while Ed led tactical actions for both Team One and Team Three. It was completely routine, all in a day's work. In the end, the subject was overpowered and the hostage was rescued, unharmed. A happy ending to an otherwise alarming situation.

But Team One hadn't got their happy ending just yet, not until Sam was found. While hunting for the subject, the fate of a missing teammate had never strayed far from their thoughts. And so, the moment they had completely wrapped up the scene, they all bundled up into their vehicle and sped away. Spike had already planted himself behind the computers in the command truck, making a head start on his search through the city taxicab's databases.

"I've managed to gather a list of taxi services that had operating cabs within the immediate area on the night Sam was last seen. Those cabs were from Becks, Royal and Crown," said Spike, his voice sounded clear in everyone's headsets. "But none of them have reports of taking a passenger near the Barn."

Jules frowned. "So Sam didn't take a cab after all?"

"He _did_ flag down a cab, Jules," Spike assured her. "I just got a feed from the nearest traffic camera at the main road. It clearly showed Sam standing in the rain before a taxicab pulled over and then he got in. But something's real odd."

"What do you mean, Spike? What's odd?" Parker asked. Sitting behind the wheel next to him, Ed also looked puzzled.

"I got a capture of the vehicle's plate number and made a quick search. The cab that Sam took was from the Starcab Taxi Company. But that particular cab was supposed to be off duty," Spike explained, "It shouldn't even be on the road because the vehicle was sent to an auto shop the day before for its mandatory annual maintenance."

"That _is_ odd," Ed remarked, exchanging glances with the Sergeant. "If it were off duty, then who was driving it around looking for customers? Taxicab companies won't pay their drivers for any unrecorded pick-ups, would they?"

Parker nodded. "At least we're getting somewhere. Spike, you have the address for the auto shop?"

"Hold on one second. I'm calling Starcab right now."

"Boss?"

"Yes, Raf?"

"Um…it might be nothing, but I got a feeling…"

"What is it, Raf? What's on your mind?"

Glancing at Jules beside him, Raf continued, "Remember the 'Taxi Bandit', the one constantly on the news lately?"

"Are you suggesting Sam has become his latest victim?" Jules's eyes were widened with shock.

"I hope not, but based on what Spike just gathered, we'd better check it out. Just in case."

"Okay. Good thinking, Raf," said Parker. "Winnie?"

"Yes, Boss?"

"Get me any authorized officials from the downtown station who directly oversees the Taxi Bandit's case. Let's find out how the investigation is going so far. It might help us figure out if Sam is involved and where he fits in all this."

"And if the Taxi Bandit has nothing to do with Sam's disappearance?" Ed asked.

Parker looked determined. "Then we'll keep on looking for new leads. We'll not stop searching until Sam is back with us, safe and sound."

* * *

"Sam…Hey, baby. Wake up."

Sam opened his eyes to a darkening day. Someone was standing right in front of him. Someone that looked awfully familiar.

"Jules…" he tried to speak, but his throat hurt so much.

She crouched down, brushing a warm hand against his burning forehead. "Shhh, my dear. You're going to be alright."

"I'm sorry…"

Of course, she couldn't understand what he said. He was still gagged. And bound. So then why wouldn't she untie him?

"We will find you, sweetheart."

_Find me?_ he thought in confusion. _But you're already here_.

Sam had to blink repeatedly to clear his blurry vision. Jules had instantly vanished, much to his dismay. There was not even single sign that she had been there. Later, he understood. It was just a hallucination. He was only seeing things he wanted to see. He was so feverish that his mind was playing tricks on him.

Hallucination or not, he was real glad that he had seen her. Maybe for one last time. Even if he didn't make it, at least he had been given the chance to apologize to her.

So it could be okay if he let go now.

Just let go…

Sam's eyes slowly drooped close once more.

* * *

"You're kidding me," Parker exclaimed into the phone. "When was this?"

As he continued to listen, his eyes grew wider at what the person on the other line was telling him. Ed kept glancing at the Sergeant, anxious to know the details.

"Okay, Detective. That's great news," said Parker with a pleased smile. "Now we need your assistance. That man is a person of interest in our current case. We believe he is connected to a missing person. Can you arrange something here? Good, that's good, Detective. We are on our way. ETA five minutes."

Parker ended the call and announced to the team, "New deal, guys. We're heading to the downtown station. Gun it, Eddie."

"What is it, Boss?" Ed was quick to ask as he turned on the siren and cherries.

"A stroke of luck. The 'Taxi Bandit' has been caught just an hour ago, trying to leave the country. They have him in custody downtown."

"No shit? What makes them so sure they got the right man?"

"Detective Riley and his team have been following their own leads for weeks," the Sergeant explained. "They've carefully gone through all the statements given by the victims. Though they were robbed in different taxicabs, the victims gave the profile of a same man."

"Let me guess, the suspect is an employee of the auto shop company where those cabs were sent for maintenance," Spike piped in.

Parker nodded. "You're on the mark, Spike. How did you figure that out?"

"I spoke to the lady from Starcab just now. She told me this is not the first time they were questioned by the police about their cabs being involved in the Taxi Bandit's exploits. They have proven records that their cabs were being serviced when those robberies took place. I also checked with the other taxicab companies. Same deal. Someone has been using their vehicle for crime spree. Someone from the auto shop company, most likely."

Raf shook his head. "What a real piece of dumbass. This guy really thinks he'll forever get away with it?"

"I guess it's good for us he _is_ a dumbass," Ed remarked. "This idiot might be our only lead to find Sam."

Upon reaching the police station, the entire Team One spilled out of their vehicle and rushed inside. But Parker put up an arm towards Jules, causing her to halt.

"Boss?" She frowned in puzzlement.

"We're going to interrogate the suspect until he gives us infos on Sam."

She nodded. "I'm aware of that. So?"

"Can you stay objective?"

"Why are you asking me this?"

"Jules, be straight with me here. Can you _stay_ objective?"

Jules opened her mouth to blast the Sergeant with scathing remarks for questioning her professionalism. And then she realized that she was actually shaking with fury. She knew that if she got within a few feet of the Taxi Bandit, she would cause the man serious bodily harm. That's how angry she was.

"You're right, Boss. I can't promise I won't hurt him," she grudgingly admitted. "I'll sit this one out."

"I'll stay here with you, Jules. I'm real pissed too," Spike said, winking at her.

Raf stood flanking her other side. "Same here."

"Okay," the Sergeant acknowledged with a benign smile. He and Ed then went further inside, looking for Detective Riley. They found the man already waiting at the front desk. After a quick introduction, the detective led the way to an interrogation room down the hall.

"His name is Vince Curtis," said Detective Riley as he handed over a file folder. "He's a mechanic at the auto shop where those taxicabs were sent in for services. He fits the profile, he has the opportunities. All the victims we spoke to identified him as the taxi driver who robbed them. Finally we've caught the elusive Taxi Bandit. The case is closed."

"Not just yet, Detective," Parker said, riffling through the case notes. "We have suspicions that there's another victim that hasn't been accounted for."

"But there's no other recent report."

"That's because the victim is still missing, and maybe this Curtis guy knows where he is." Parker then gave the detective a brief overview about Sam's disappearance and how the team had come out with the taxicab angle.

Detective Riley nodded, understanding the situation. "You're sure he knows where your guy is?"

"Let's go ask him," Ed said with a strange look on his face, making a move to enter the room.

Parker held him back, though. "Ed, just keep something in mind."

"What?"

"We need this man _alive_ to answer our questions."

Ed's eyes drew to a slit. Jules was not the only one who had troubles staying objective. If Vince Curtis was the actual man who had harmed Sam, Ed would love to punch the living daylights out of him. However, the team leader managed a cold smile as he replied, "He can still do that while _barely_ alive."

With a slight roll of his eyes, Parker patted Ed in the back and they all went in.

The suspect was sitting alone inside the room, his arms cuffed behind his back. He looked bored and defiant. Upon seeing the SRU officers though, he sat up straight and turned several shades paler.

"Vince Curtis? I'm Sergeant Parker and this is Ed Lane. We're from the Strategic Response Unit. We've a few questions for you."

The suspect blinked, swallowing hard. "Yeah?"

"Have you seen this man?" Ed placed his phone on to the table in front of Curtis. On the small LCD screen was the most recent photo he had of Sam. Right that instant, the blood seemed to completely drain out of the suspect's face, turning him deadly white. A sure sign that he was guilty of something.

"Have you or have you not seen him?" Ed repeated more forcefully, resting his hand against the Glock strapped to his thigh. "Listen, punk. You'd better answer me now or I'm gonna shoot you in the kneecaps, and then your elbows, and then your—"

"No you wouldn't. You're a cop." Somehow the man found the courage to talk back.

Ed's blue eyes glinted with fury. He hovered over Curtis with a menacing glare, looking every inch the lethal officer of the law that he was. The suspect couldn't help but shrank back into his seat.

"What did you just say?" Ed growled, about to pull out his gun. "You think I won't do it, huh? You _dare_ to test me?"

"Eddie," Parker solemnly said with a straight face, but inside he was grinning. Ed had managed to scare the bejesus out of the poor guy. If that wouldn't make him talk, then nothing else would. Taking over, Parker stepped forward and gave the trembling man a kind smile.

"Mr. Curtis, let us start over," the Sergeant suggested, playing good-cop to Ed's bad-cop. "Look, all we want to know is whether you've seen this young man, that's all. The sooner you tell us, the sooner we leave you alone."

Curtis glanced at Detective Riley who simply stood observing. He then looked at one SRU officer to another, anxious. Finally he admitted, "Yeah, I've seen him."

"When?" Ed snapped.

"Several nights ago. Friday, I think."

"How did you see him?" Parker then asked.

"_How_? Well, I…uh…I saw him standing by the side of the road."

"That's it? You just saw him standing there?"

"Err…yeah."

"You didn't even speak to him?"

Curtis shook his head, having trouble meeting Parker's direct gaze.

"Don't lie to us!" Ed roared, banging the table with his fist, causing the suspect to jump a foot in the air. He visibly flinched when Ed hovered much closer.

Parker calmly said, "Why don't you come clean, Mr. Curtis? We only want to find our guy. My best pal here, he's quite trigger-happy. He hasn't shot anyone today and that's why he's a bit cranky. Let's not make him any crankier or things might get real ugly."

"Okay, okay. I'll talk. No need for threats, man." The suspect was frantic, squirming in his chair.

"Then talk."

"Yes, I've seen this guy."

"We know that. What else?"

"He was standing in the rain by the side of the road, trying to flag down a taxi."

"And then what happened?"

"I pulled over and gave him a lift."

"What kind of vehicle were you driving?" Detective Riley took the opportunity to ask.

"It…uh…it was a taxicab."

"Was it yours?"

Curtis shook his head, looking extremely sheepish. "Umm…no."

"We'll come back to that later," Ed said, growing impatient. "Where did you drop him off, Curtis?"

At that, the man sat there frozen like a statue.

"No, I rephrase that. What did you _do_ to him?"

Looking very scared now, Curtis audibly gulped and stuttered, "I…I…dropped him off in Warden Woods."

"That's not where he wanted you to drop him off, was it? Why did you take him there?" Ed continued to ask.

When the man stayed quiet, Parker lost his cool and shouted, "Tell us _why_, god damn it!"

"I planned to rob him," the man quickly replied.

"You _planned_?"

"Okay, okay. I _robbed_ him. But I didn't mean to do him any real harm. If he hadn't put up a lot of fight, I wouldn't have tasered him."

"You…" Ed saw red. He grabbed the man by the shirtfront and hauled him out of the seat, slamming him against the wall. "You _tasered_ him?"

"I had to! He was fighting me!"

"Well, what did you expect? You think he would gladly give up his belongings to you?"

"No, I…I…"

Ed tightened his hold on the man's collar. "What else did you to him? Did you kill him?"

"No, I just left him there, I swear." Thoroughly shaken out of his wits, Curtis began to weep.

"_Alive_?"

"Yes, alive!"

"Then why is he still missing?" Parker demanded to know, "Why hasn't he come home?"

"I…I don't know. M…maybe he's still there," the man stammered, tears and snot running down his face. "I left him t…tied to a tree."

Silence reigned as both Ed and Parker glowered at the sobbing man. Without realizing it, Ed had been squeezing Curtis around the throat. He quickly released his hold when Curtis started choking and coughing.

"You're going to show us _exactly_ where you left him," Parker softly said after gathering his composure.

Curtis vigorously nodded. "Yes, yes, I'll show you the place. Just don't hurt me."

"Don't worry, Curtis. We wouldn't even have the chance to hurt you," Ed said with a cold laugh. "Because, you see, by the time we get our turns, a mad woman and an army General would have already torn you to pieces!"

**TBC...**

* * *

**Next, the grand finale. Keep on hanging, guys!**

**p/s : I just watched 'Total Recall'. Man, it was awesome!**


	6. Chapter 6

**And now, Adromir's Fictions Production is proud to present...(**_**drum rolls)**_**…the GRAND FINALE!**

**Uh…is it really that grand? I guess you'll be the judge on that.**

**Happy reading!**

* * *

It had already turned dark by the time the SRUs and Detective Riley's investigating team rushed into Warden Woods at high speed. With the disgraced 'Taxi Bandit' showing the way, they drove down a dirt road until he gave them the signal to stop.

"Are you sure this is where you left him?" was Parker's first question as they exited their vehicle.

"Yes, this is the place," Curtis quickly replied. "I recognize the fallen tree over there."

"You are absolutely sure?" Parker stressed again with a hard glare. "So then where is he? We see no sign of him."

"I left him between those trees." The man nudged at the direction with his chin. "Just walk through the thicket, about thirty yards in. Not much further."

Having the wildest urge to shoot the man in the mouth, Ed kept a careful distance until the detectives had bundled Curtis back into their vehicle, cuffs and all. He immediately turned to his teammates. "Better grab some flashlights, guys."

"I'll bring along the thermal imaging scope," said Spike, "In case there's any surprises waiting for us out there in the dark."

"Smart thinking, Spike. As per usual," Raf complimented, grabbing a bottled water from the front seat of their SUV. "And this one's for Sam. He's gonna need it when we find him."

"Good. Let's go!" Ed announced and led the way.

"Talk us through, Eddie," Parker reminded as the three men began to track deeper into the woods. Jules stood next to him watching in silent anxiety, longing to follow them. On the way over, the Sergeant had instructed her to stay behind and leave it to the guys to go find Sam. Her first reaction was to protest, but she realized that he had his reasons. The Sergeant only wanted to spare her from any unfavorable sights. Who knew what type of condition Sam was in? He could be terribly wounded, or even dead. She understood Parker's way of thinking, but it didn't make her feel less guilty by just standing there and waited.

Glaring at the backseat of the unmarked car where Vince Curtis sat alone, Jules wished she could stride over there and kick the bastard in the nuts. Or better yet, shove her gun up his ass and pull the trigger! That was real unprofessional of her, but a girl could fantasize.

Ed, Raf and Spike carefully made their way through the thicket. The darkness swallowed them whole in an instant. Without the flashlights and the thermal scope, they wouldn't have been able to see a thing, let alone finding anyone in the thick black soup.

Their repeated calls for Sam were never responded. Only silence greeted them in return. After a full minute of fruitless search, Ed slowly grew furious. He thought that Curtis had duped them all by deliberately giving the wrong location, sending them on a wild goose chase. He was about to turn back to confront the bastard when Spike suddenly cried out, "Guys, I see him!"

"Where?" asked Ed, swinging his flashlight about. But he only saw trees and more trees.

Already running, Spike pointed at the screen of his thermal scope. "Over there, about twenty yards ahead!"

The three men quickly rushed over towards the spot, crushing twigs and vegetation underfoot. Upon reaching Sam, they came to a halt and stared in dismay.

"My god," Raf muttered, shaken by the sight.

"We've found him," Spike said, his voice quavering from the shock of seeing his friend's awful condition. Sitting slump with his back against the tree, Sam's face looked so gaunt and pale. He didn't appear to be moving.

Parker exhaled in relief. "Good work, guys. How is he?"

Kneeling down by Sam's side, Ed slipped off his glove and touched Sam's neck, looking for pulse. It was alarmingly weak, but it was there. "Boss, he's alive. But you'd better get the EMS here ASAP. He doesn't look good."

"Copy that."

With much care, Ed untied the gag and pulled it out of Sam's mouth. He then gently tapped his teammate's cheek, hoping for a response. "Sam. Hey, Samo. Can you hear me, buddy? Sam?"

Slowly, Sam stirred and opened his eyes a slit. He looked dazed. Confused. He tried to speak, but only raspy sound came out.

"No, Sam, don't talk just yet." Ed turned to Raf. "Give me the bottled water."

After Raf handed it over, Ed soaked his fingertips and ran them over Sam's dry and cracked lips. He repeated the process a couple more times until Sam was able to suck in most of the moisture. Ed was careful not to give Sam too much to drink, as it would only make him sick. As if he wasn't ill enough to begin with.

Raf had stepped behind the tree to cut Sam off his bonds. He cursed out loud when he saw the state of his teammate's battered wrists. "Aw, man. This must hurt like hell."

Spike, meanwhile, was cutting the ties around Sam's ankles. "Yeah. It looks the same here. Makes me want to flush Curtis down the toilet, head first!"

Even after he was completely unbound, Sam still couldn't move any of his limbs. In fact, he had long lost the feeling to his arms and legs. Ed noticed this, and so he said, "Raf, let's bring his arms forward. Okay, careful now."

The moment his arms were back to their normal position, Sam was overwhelmed by a sudden rush of agony so great he couldn't stop himself from letting out a silent scream. Ed and Raf worked together, chafing and kneading his shoulder joints to let the blood flow easier. On the other end, Spike was rubbing the bottom of Sam's feet, muttering about how cold as ice they were.

Minutes later, the pain lessened and Sam managed a wan smile. His voice came out in a whisper, saying, "That was…fun."

Grinning, Ed patted his shoulder. "Yep. Fun weekend, huh, Samo?"

"The best." Leaning his head back, Sam laughed. It quickly turned into a deep groan, worrying the others.

"Sam, you'd better take it easy. Save your strength," Spike advised.

"Can't feel…my ass…numb," Sam moaned, his face screwing in a grimace.

"Trust me, buddy. Your ass is still there," Ed assured him, frowning when he realized that Sam's skin was too hot to the touch. "He's burning up."

"Ed." Raf lifted Sam's left wrist, showing the telltale red streaks down the arm.

"Septicemia," Ed gravely remarked. He had also noticed Sam's shortness of breath and racy heartbeat. "He needs medical attention now before he goes into septic shock. Boss, where's the EMS?"

"Five minutes, Ed," was the Sergeant's quick answer.

"We should have brought one along with us earlier." Spike shook his head regretfully. "Now we're wasting time waiting for it to arrive."

" 's okay, Spike," Sam said, barely audible. "I'm…f…fine."

"Of course you're fine, you knucklehead," Spike shot back, his great fear for his friend making him angry. "How the heck did you manage to get your ass kicked by a pathetic taxi driver, huh? _You_, a badass ex-Special Forces. What, stupid much?"

"Spike." Ed and Raf gave him a pointed look.

Sam swallowed hard. "I'm…s…sorry."

Instantly contrite, Spike cooled down and gave Sam's hand a squeeze. "No, buddy. Don't apologize. There's nothing to be sorry for. I'm just glad we've found you. Now it's time we take you home."

"Home. Let's go." Sam tried to push himself upright, only to fall back in a sprawl against the tree.

"Sam, you're not supposed to be moving yet," Ed said, gathering Sam close as the younger man began to shake, a clear indication that his body was going into shock.

"Ed, don't," Sam croaked, giving Ed's chest a weak shove. He looked highly embarrassed. "I…uh…I stink."

The odor of stale sweat and urine was high in the air, but Ed and the other two were completely unfazed about it. Ed's face softened as he wrapped his arms around his ailing teammate in an attempt to give him warmth. "It's okay, buddy. It's okay. Don't worry about it."

Sam had not enough energy to push away again. He let himself being held as uncontrollable chills wrecked through his body. His teeth started to chatter, making speeches difficult. "J…Jules…where's sh…she?"

"She's okay," Raf answered, "She's waiting for you with the Boss at the command truck."

"T…tell her…"

"Tell her what, Sam?"

"I'm real s…sorry…"

Ed chuckled. "No, you'd better tell her yourself. She's mad enough to—Sam? _Sam_! "

They watched in alarm as Sam's head dropped forward as he lost consciousness.

Grimly, Ed looked up. "Okay. We've gotta move fast before he's too far gone. Raf, you take his legs, and I'll take his shoulders. Spike?"

"I'll light the way," the team's tech expert had stood ready with a flashlight and the thermal scope.

Quickly, they cut through the darkness towards the dirt road where the sirens of an ambulance was heard approaching fast. Between them, their teammate's life was steadily slipping away.

* * *

An hour later found the team standing in the hallway of the ICU at St. Simon Hospital. They were listening intently as to Dr. Alan Cummings gave details about one particular patient under his care.

"When he first arrived here, it was simply touch and go, that's how serious his condition is," the doctor said. "He flatlined twice in the ambulance, and once in my ER. Despite all that, he's gonna make it. This Officer Braddock is quite a stubborn young man, is he?"

Parker exchanged amused glances with the others. "You have no idea, doctor."

"It's a good thing that he's exceptionally fit. Most septicemia cases like this end up with fatality, but I guess he is not most people," the doctor wryly commented with a shake of his head. "However, we need to detain him here for at least a couple more days so that we can monitor the infection. He's severely dehydrated and still so very weak. He has also contracted a mild pneumonia from the exposure. But based on my past experience dealing with officers of the law, I got a feeling that he's going to jump onto his feet tomorrow and go back to kicking some asses!"

As the guys broke into quiet laughter, Jules inched closer towards the doorway that led to Sam's room. For a long moment she just stood there watching him sleep, her face a mixture of sorrow and regret. Slowly, she walked in and approached his bed. Her heart broke to pieces to see him looking so frail, with a myriad of tubes and wires linked to his still body. A nasal canula was attached to his nose, supplying him with fresh oxygen while an intravenous fluid line ran down from the IV stand into the vein in his arm to rehydrate him.

Gently, she took hold of his hand. She read the wordings on the hospital bracelet around his bandaged wrist, which stated his full name and birth date; Samuel W. Braddock. April 7.

_April 7?_

And then it hit her.

_Today is already April 9. Sam has been spending his entire birthday tied to a tree, all alone. And I totally forgot it. Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…_

Jules closed her eyes as tears of remorse ran down her cheeks. Inside, she couldn't stop berating herself. If she had not left Sam behind in the parking lot that night, none of this would have happened. They could have celebrated his birthday by walking hand-in-hand in the park or watching movies or eating ice-creams in bed, whatever. Not like this.

_God, not like this…_

"Jules?"

Sam's voice was so soft that Jules almost missed it. She quickly wiped her tears away and gave him a big smile. "Hey, baby. Welcome back. About time you wake up. I've been crazy with worry."

"My bad." He emitted a weak grin. "Won't happen again."

"Don't make any promises you can't keep," she gently rebuked. "You're a trouble magnet, if you must know."

"I'm very sorry," he rasped, squeezing her hand as much as his strength allowed. "I was such a jerk."

"No, Sam. It's me who should apologize. If we had driven home together like usual, you wouldn't have been robbed and get so badly hurt. This is my fault."

"Not true, Jules." He gave her a beseeching gaze. "Shits happen. Just let it go."

Giving his hand a returning squeeze, she nodded. "I just can't wait for you to get better. I have plans for your belated birthday."

"My birthday?"

"What, you also forgot? Let me make it up to you then. Anything you want, just ask. I'll make it happen."

"Anything?" Sam grinned lasciviously.

"Easy, cowboy. Like I said, we need to wait until you get better."

Sam groaned good-naturedly. "Waiting is pain. So what plans do you have in mind?"

"I have a few that I need to think through." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "And I recall someone saying that make-up sex is phenomenal."

Sam's grin grew wider. "Honey, you've read my mind."

"Hey, Brallaghan. Are we interrupting anything?"

Sergeant Parker's sudden voice startled them both, causing Jules to blush. Sam would have blushed too if he wasn't so pale. The rest of Team One had quietly walked into the room, glad to see Sam already awake and talking.

"How're you doing, buddy?" Spike asked as he and Sam bumped knuckles.

Sam grimaced. "I'm in a hospital. How do you think?"

"At least you're not in the morgue," Ed dryly said, giving Sam's arm a hefty pat. "You look half dead when we found you. Thought we were already too late."

"You're lucky your team found you just in time, Officer Braddock. You were too far into shock that it's a miracle you're still alive," said the doctor. Retracing his steps to the door, he told the others. "I'll leave you all to your visit but don't be too long. He needs his rest."

"We hear you, doc." Parker nodded his understanding. He turned his attention back to Sam. "So, buddy, you got into the wrong taxi."

"Tell me about it," Sam replied a little sheepishly. "It's the 'Taxi Bandit', isn't it?"

"Yeah. And he has already been caught. If he hasn't shown us where you were, we wouldn't be able to find you till now," said Raf.

"Ed scared him so much he jumped all over himself to cooperate," Parker added, much to their amusement. After their laughter died down, Sam gazed at them with gratitude.

"Look, guys. Thank you…for finding me," he said, his voice breaking. "God knows how close I was to…to just give up. I was…only waiting to die. Guess I should have…more faith in the team. For that I apologize."

"No, Sam," Ed said, squeezing his shoulder. "No need for apology. That was no easy feat for anyone, but you've made it. You're here with us, you've survived. Don't ever be sorry for that."

Gazing into Jules' soft brown eyes, Sam then smiled. "You're right. I'm not sorry at all."

**THE END**

* * *

**Yep, it's done. Finished. This fic finally ends. Everyone can take a deep breath now. ;)**

**I'm glad you find this story a pleasure to read. Thank you so much for spending your time with me. And to those reviewers who never tires in pushing me to update, I'm glad you guys did that because I was **_**this**_** close to drop the fic halfway. My plot bunnies suddenly decided to go honeymoon in Antartica. Yeah, go figure. There're also some reviewers who went the extra length by giving this fic super-extra long reviews. All writers love that, me the most (wink, wink). You're a godsend, guys. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all your support!**

**As my plot bunnies are on sabbatical, the sequel to 'The Lie' is still work-in-progress. Don't worry. I'll eventually put it up soon. Now I'm off to watch 'Bourne Legacy'! See ya later alligator!**

**Adromir has left the building!**


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